Project Objective

The aim of the exploration of the Gorleben salt dome was to obtain all the information and data necessary to assess the suitability of the salt dome as a potential final repository for all types of radioactive waste.
Salt dome areas that appeared to be suitable for the final disposal were excavated at the exploration level (840-m level) and made accessible to the accompanying geoscientific exploration. A large number of boreholes increased the exposure density and provided comprehensive knowledge on the geological and structural composition of the salt dome as well as its geophysical characteristics. The primary objective of the exploration was to prove the existence of sufficiently large, homogeneous rock salt bodies suitable for the emplacement of radioactive waste and to identify potential migration paths for the nuclear waste into the biosphere.
Due to the prevailing geological conditions, large homogeneous rock salt bodies can be expected particularly in the Stassfurt sequence of the Zechstein salt formation. This expectation has been confirmed by the exploration work carried out to date.